Southern Ohio Copperheads season underway

Team provides students with hands-on work experience

The Southern Ohio Copperheads recently kicked off their two-month, 40-game baseball season at Ohio University Bob Wren Stadium as part of the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League.

The Copperheads players are collegiate players from all over the United States and can be categorized as a summer wood-bat collegiate baseball league. The league gives players the opportunity to train with the wood bats they will need to pursue a position on professional baseball teams in the future.

The team first took the field in spring 2002 after Andy Kreutzer, director of the Ohio University Sports Administration program and Alan Geiger, Ohio University assistant to the president, worked hard to bring a summer team to Southeast Ohio. The duo knew the team could provide area residents with high-level sports entertainment.

"The best part about playing in Athens is that it allows us to be a main entertainment option for people living in Southeast Ohio," said Jerod Scheetz, director of baseball information for The Copperheads and Ohio University graduate sports administration major. "We have the opportunity to draw families to a live sports event that we think is run extremely professionally."

The Copperheads work hand-in-hand with Ohio University's Sports Administration program and provides its students and faculty with a real-world learning experience.

"To graduate with this experience on our resumes is just awesome," Scheetz said. "It's something that allows us to stand out from other applicants down the road. We get to learn and make mistakes and become better through actual practice and application."

Four Ohio University Bobcats, Kyle Dean, Tyler Finkler, Matt Mikolajczak and Jake Miller, are on this year's roster.

The Copperheads regularly host special events such as Fireworks Night, which is scheduled for Saturday, June 21. Tickets can be purchased by email at tickets@copperheadbaseball.com or by calling 330-998-3996.